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Friday, July 31, 2015

Cover Reveal & Chapter 1

Screwed

by

Kendall Ryan

Release Date: September
15, 2015

~ Synopsis ~

I have one rule: Don’t shit where you eat.

Several of the women in the condo complex I own
would love some one-on-one playtime, and why wouldn’t they? I’m young, fit,
attractive, and loaded. Not to mention I’m packing a sizable bulge below the
belt. It’s a combination that drops panties on a regular basis.

Yay, me,
right?

But my cock, troublemaker that he is, has been
confined to my trousers by my business partner. A concession I agreed to, and
one that’s never been hard to enforce until Emery moves in across the hall.
She’s smart, young, determined, and sexy as hell. I want a taste. I won’t stop
until I’m buried deep inside the succulent new-in-town brunette.

After being warned about my past, she does her
best to steer clear, but I’m about to show her that underneath it all, I’m a
guy with a heart of gold and a cock of steel.

My
eyes swing over to admire the most perfect pear-shaped ass I’ve ever had the
pleasure of laying eyes on while my business partner Hudson continues lecturing
me. I think it’s something important, but there’s nothing more urgent than my
body’s reaction to this shapely brunette. Jesus. Those tits are
definitely real.

“Well
it’s on lock down then. No more of this bullshit. I had three calls this week alone
from hysterical women – our tenants – who you, how do I put this delicately?
You fucked and then left before their pussies were even dry.”

I
smirk at him, but I can’t deny the accusation. We’re like the real life Melrose
Place. Sexy young twenty-somethings all living in close proximity. There’s
bound to be a little drama now and again. Together, Hudson and I own thirty
buildings in the greater Los Angeles area. And some of our buildings have very
fuckable tenants. Up until this point, I’d considered that a nice bonus, and a
perk of the job. Hudson has apparently viewed it differently.

“Who’s
that?” I ask, tipping my head toward the bombshell who’s responsible for all
the blood rushing to my groin. Fuck. I should have a word with her about
that, that’s not cool.

Hudson’s
eyes swing to the left to see what, or rather, who has captured my attention.
And who’s given me this semi-chub, which I hope he hasn’t noticed. We’re close,
but we’re not that close.

“No,
no, no. Don’t get any ideas. You’re not tagging that.”

She’s
not close enough to overhear us, but I shoot him a scowl anyway. “Show some
class, man. Tagging is such a juvenile word. I’d take my time, get her hot and
ready first, until she was begging for me to fill her tight, little cunt.”

“I’m
fucking serious. You’re not to even think about her tight cunt.”

“So
you acknowledge she’s got a tight cunt?” I smile, proud of myself.

He
wipes sweat from his brow, looking worried. “Hayden, I’m serious this time.”
His voice has taken on a somber tone, and for once, I try to be serious and
focus.

Watching
the way the vein throbs in his neck, my smile fades. We’re standing outside of
one of our nicest buildings just outside of downtown, and the mid-afternoon sun
is beating down on us. Suddenly I want to get away from him, and away from this
entire conversation and into the cool air conditioning inside. Shit has gotten
a little too real for me.

“You
know me,” I grin at him, trying to lighten the mood. “I just wanted to have
some casual fun.” And if that meant sleeping my way through the LA singles
scene, so be it. I’m not looking for something deeper. I have a luxury condo in
the heart of the Hollywood Hills, drive a new model BMW and possess a nine-inch
cock. Translation: Life is good. Or it was, until Hudson decided to get a bug
up his ass and lay down the law today.

“Did
you hear a word I just said? One of your latest conquests threatened to report
our company to the Better Business Bureau for unethical business practices.
This isn’t just about you. This affects me too. And I’ll be damned if I watch
everything we’ve built go down in flames because you can’t keep your dick in
your pants.”

“Point
taken.” Hudson is pretty much the best friend, and best business partner you
could ask for. He’s smart as hell, dedicated, works like a dog day and night.
And not to mention when we began our real estate investment company five years
ago, he single-handedly fronted all the start-up capital from his own savings
and trust fund. It took me years to pay him back as the profits rolled in, and
he never once made me feel lesser, or like I was in debt to him. Not to
mention, he’s funny, well-off, and good looking. He’s an excellent wing-man.
Plus he knows the best taco joints.

Unable
to help myself, my eyes drift over to her again. 4B fills out a pair of yoga
pants in ways that I doubt are even legal in most countries. I needed to know
what was underneath those curve-hugging black athletic pants. Simple cotton
panties, or a naughty g-string? Either way, I wanted to bury my fingers inside
the waistband of those pants, peel them down her hips and find out. Perhaps it
was because Hudson just made her forbidden fruit, but I wanted a taste. My damn
mouth was practically watering.

She
looked smart, and put together, despite her casual attire, including a tank top
and tennis shoes. With a clipboard in one hand, and her trusty number two
pencil in the other, she ticked items off of her list, and instructed the
movers who were unloading and carrying boxes up to her new place – which just
so happened to be directly underneath mine.

“You’re
not going to last three minutes let alone three days.” Hudson grimaces,
glancing over again at our newest resident.

“What
do you know about her?”

He
rolls his eyes, but humors me. “Emery Elaine Winters. She’s an attorney.
Excellent references. Even better credit score, and she signed a one year
lease. And she’s to remain in pristine condition, or so help me God …”

When
I glance up at her again, I see Roxy, another of our residents has joined Emery
on the sidewalk, and they appear to be making small talk. Shaking hands,
exchanging words, and smiling at each other. There’s something I strongly
dislike about these two women talking. Roxy is an exotic dancer, and she I have
a bit of a rocky past. Which is a huge fucking understatement, but not
something I care to dwell on now. Hudson mentions something about fourth
quarter taxes, and I tune him out, sure I just heard my name on Roxy’s
over-glossed lips.

“Excuse
me, I’ve got business to attend to.” I step around him, heading straight toward
my new prize. Roxy spots me, and takes off for the parking area.

I
can control myself around her. I have to, according to Hudson. I don’t like
being told what to do, especially where my cock was concerned, and hell, it’ll
probably only make me want her more, but as I close the distance between Emery
and me, I make a plan.

Friends.

I
would become friends with the
so-hot-I-wanted-to-bend-her-over-and-fuck-her-in-broad-daylight new girl.

This
was either the best plan I’d ever had, or would end with me sporting a black
eye, courtesy of my best friend.

Kendall Ryan is the New York Times
and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance novels, including Hard
to Love, Unravel Me, Resisting Her and When I Break.

She's a sassy, yet polite Midwestern
girl with a deep love of books, and a slight addiction to lipgloss. She lives
in Minneapolis with her adorable husband and two baby sons, and enjoys hiking,
being active, and reading.

Pop star Abby Murphy has fame and
fortune and handsome boyfriend and guitarist, Sean. That changes the night she
finds him in the arms of another woman. But Sean won't accept the breakup, and
she soon finds out he's working with her mother, who's also her manager, to
keep him in her good graces.

As Sean ratchets up his threats
against her, Abby turns to her bodyguard, Danny Nucci, who will do everything
in his power to keep her safe.

But when Abby realizes her
feelings for Danny run much deeper than she'd like, she pushes him away as much
to keep her own independence as to protect him from Sean's machinations.

When Abby finally finds the
strength to confront all that is wrong with her life, she seeks refuge with
Danny, but is it too late? Has she pushed him away one too many times for him
to trust her now? Or can he put his own demons aside to help repair them both?

Debra is a native New Yorker who
made her escape to the suburbs. She often visits her hometown to enjoy a bagel
with butter from her favorite deli, because there’s no better bagel than a New
York bagel. When not in search of bagels, Debra spends her time running Book
Enthusiast Promotions, an online promotions company that helps indie authors
spread the word about their books. She’s also the owner of The Book Enthusiast
blog.

She started writing lyrics in her
wall-to-wall NKOTB bedroom at the tender age of thirteen while dreaming of the
day she’d become Mrs. Jordan Knight. That dream never came to fruition, but she
has continued to write. Now she’s working on her first novel.

I sat in the library as I rolled
my neck around and let out a sigh. My mind had been pre occupied and I couldn’t
afford to not be focused. I’d fallen behind in my classes when Lauren got sick.

Glancing back down at my book, I
tried to read the words on the pages but my mind quickly drifted off to a
memory of Noah and me.

***

Sitting back, I let the sun warm
my face as Noah rowed the canoe.

“So are you going to just sit
there while I do all the work, Grace?” Noah asked in a teasing voice.

“Yep,” I said with a smile.

Keeping my eyes closed, I could
tell he had turned directions. Trying not to smile, I asked, “Are you getting
tired, Noah? Was last night to much for you?”

Noah chuckled. It was the first
night I’d stayed over at his apartment he shared with one other guy who also attended
A&M. I wasn’t sure why I was keeping how close Noah and I were getting away
from everyone. Maybe it was my way of keeping this relationship distant from my
real world. That or I didn’t feel like answering Alex, Lauren, and Libby’s
constant questions.

Whatever my reasons were, I
pushed it from my mind.

“Baby, you could never be to
much.”

Opening my eyes, I tilted my head
and gave Noah a sexy smile. As hard as I tried to keep from falling in love
with him, I fell deeper every moment we spent together.

“Is that a challenge?” I asked as
I leaned forward, making sure to squeeze my arms together so my breasts showed
just the right amount of cleavage since I only had a tank top over my swimsuit.

Lifting his eyebrows, Noah
glanced over to the shore. When I looked over my shoulder, there was a small
path. Noah paddled us over and jumped out. Reaching his hand out for mine, I
placed it softly in his. The rush I got just from his touch about caused me to
let out a moan. Stepping up onto the shore, I watched as Noah pulled the canoe
up and grabbed my hand.

Leading me down the path, he
pushed me against a tree and smiled at me.

“That is indeed a challenge.
Let’s see if you can keep up with me now, Grace.”

My heart dropped to my stomach as
I fought back those three words.

Lifting me up, Noah pushed his
hard dick into me as I gasped. Desire pulled in my lower stomach and I was
ready for anything Noah was going to give me.

Smiling, I stood and gathered up
my books. Turning to head out of the library, I came face to face with Doug
Richards.

“Hey, Grace.”

My eyes traveled over his body as
I suppressed the moan I wanted to let out. Damn he was fine as hell and it had
been to long since I’d had sex. My mind had been filled with memories of Noah
and I was horny as hell.

Noah.

Pushing all thoughts of Noah
away, I smiled as I quickly gave my lower lip a seductive bite and purred,
“Hey, Doug.”

Doug’s eyes lit up. I’d always
been friendly with Doug, but this was the first time I’d ever put a little bit
of something more into my normal Oh hey Doug how’s it going.

Seeing Noah at the hospital with
his new wife only proved to me that I needed to move on. I couldn’t shake the
way Noah had looked at me though. I swear I saw the same look in his eye as I
saw the first night he made love to me. Actually, the first time he ever looked
at me I saw the passion.

“Plans for tonight?” Doug asked
as he ran his fingers lightly up and down my arm. My body shook with the idea
of being with someone. I needed a good hard fuck to pull me out of this funk.
What would one mindless one-night stand do?

It would at least ease the throb
between my legs. I’d gone through to many vibrators. I was ready for the real
thing.

Licking my lips, I winked. “I
believe you’re picking me up around eight? Taking me to dinner and then a
little bit of … dessert afterwards.”

The smile that spread across
Doug’s face caused me to smile. “I like that plan.”

My eyes roomed his body as they
landed on his lips. Hopefully he was a good kisser. He had big shoes to fill.

Reaching into my purse, I took
out a pen and grabbed Doug’s arm as I wrote down my address. “See ya at eight
handsome.”

The second I turned to walk away
I wanted to spin around and tell him to forget it. That I forgot I had plans
with a friend. Worry my lip, I continued to walk toward the exit door.

No, Grace. It’s time to move on.
What I needed was one evening of pure fun and Doug was the one who was going to
provide it. Noah was married and I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself.
What we had shared was amazing and I let it spoke me. I pushed away the only
man I’d ever truly loved.

It was time to move on.

Tonight I was getting laid.

***

“What do you mean you have a
date?” Alex asked with a stunned look on her face.

I took a bit of my taco and
shrugged my shoulders. “You know, Alex. That thing you do when you’re single
and haven’t had normal sex in I don’t know how long. Even my vibrator wants me
out of the house.”

Shrugging my shoulders, I said,
“Hey, you’re getting dick every night. I wonder if I should get a Brazilian
wax?”

Laughing, Alex shook her head.
“That was random as hell.”

“I just got to thinking, I think
I want my hoo-ha to smooth for tonight.”

Alex started choking on her taco.
“What? Grace, you can’t do that today and then have sex tonight?”

Pulling my head back in a shocked
expression, I asked, “Why not?”

“Have you ever had anything waxed
on your body before?”

Tilting my head, I thought about
it. “Nope, I can’t say that I have.”

Leaning in toward the table, Alex
motioned for me to come closer. “Grace, it hurts like hell to get waxed for the
first time. I don’t think you want your hoo-ha to be tortured before you dive
back into the whole sex thing again. I mean I get the whole, I just want
mindless sex thing, but do you really want to mistreat her like that all in one
day?”

About to state my case, I heard
someone clear her throat. Alex and I both turned to see a mom staring at us
with her daughter sitting there with her mouth dropped to the table. Smiling, I
said, “I’m not going to have mindless sex tonight … well actually I am but I
always use protection and… ouch!” I called out as I felt a stabbing pain in my
shin from where Alex kicked me. Turning back to her, I yelled, “What the hell,
Alex?”

Alex eyes were widened as she
shook her head. “Grace, stop talking.”

The mother stood and motioned for
her daughter to follow as Alex sat back and moaned, “Great, some mother I’m
going to be.”

Letting out a laugh, I shook my
head and said, “You’re going to be a kick ass mother. Just like Ellie. Hey, so
we never really got to talk about how your parents and Will’s parents reacted
to the big baby news.”

Alex, shrugged her shoulders. “I
think they were all in shock. My father biggest worry was school. I’m so glad
we’re all graduating this December.”

Taking a bite of my taco, I
nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m glad too.” After swallowing the taco, I worried my
bottom lip. I had been trying to figure out how to ask Alex if she had changed
her mind about our plans.

Alex reached across the table and
took my hand in her hand. “The baby doesn’t change anything, Grace. I want to
still follow our dream of opening up Wild Flower. We’ve been dreaming of
opening a flower nursery for years. Nothing is going to change that.”

I instantly felt my body relax.
Our whole focus throughout school had been to open a nursery between
Fredericksburg and Mason. The news of Alex having a baby had scared the piss
out of me. Smiling, I said, “I’m not going to lie, I thought I might be doing
this on my own and I was scared as hell.”

Letting out a chuckle, Alex shook
her head. “No way. Will and I have already talked about it. I fully intend on
pursuing our dream, Grace.” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Besides, we
will own the place! I can bring the baby. She learn to dig in the dirt probably
before she learns to walk.”

Sitting up straighter, I let out
a gasp. “Oh my gosh! We can build a little baby nursery besides your office. I
mean, I’m sure y’all will have more kids in the future. I bet my dad or your
dad could easily add that into the design. Move that storage space somewhere
else.”

Alex’s eyes lit up as she nodded
her head. “Grace, that’s a great idea! This will be perfect for both of us.”

Narrowing my eyes, I let out a
confused chuckle. “How is a baby room perfect for me?”

Giving me a sly smile, Alex said,
“For when you have kids.”

Nearly choking on my tea, I held
up my hands. “Whoa! Whoa! Holy hell woman! Don’t even speak such words. This
girl has no plans for kids in the near future. Fuck, I’m not even having sex and
the last time I checked … you can’t get knocked up from a vibrator.”

Alex looked around as she put her
finger up to her lips. “Why do you have to talk so loud?”

“Why do you have to say such
things? My God! There is already something in the water with you and Libby both
getting pregnant. I’m sure Lauren is probably going to be announcing something
in the next few months. Well … no thank
you. I’m not having kids any time soon.”

Alex’s eyes looked sad. “Grace,
do you not want kids?”

My heart instantly hurt as I
plastered on a fake smile. “Someday I’m sure I’ll want kids. Right now it is
the furthest thing from my mind. All I want right now, Alex, is to move on and
have a good time.”

“Grace, I talked to Noah the day
Lauren got out of the hospital. He desperately needs to talk to you.”

Swallowing hard, I fought to hold
back my tears. “W-what did he say?”

Shaking her head, Alex said, “He
asked how Lauren was and then for your number. I gave it to him. He said he
needed to talk to you.”

Feeling my entire body start
shaking, I quickly stood up. “Why would you give him my phone number, Alex?
He’s married for Christ’s sake! Besides, it’s been over two weeks since Lauren
left the hospital. He must not be that desperate to talk to me. Damn it, Alex.
Why did you give him my number?”

Alex motioned for me to sit down.
“Grace, just give me one second to explain.”

Grabbing my food and drink, I
glared at Alex. “I have to go, I have to head home and grab a book a forgot and
head to class.”

“Grace! Let me finish talking!”
Alex called out.

Racing to the door, I pushed it
open and quickly dragged in the fresh air. Glancing at my watch, I sighed. I
was going to be late for class now. Quickly making my way to my car, my phone
buzzed. Pulling it out of my purse, I saw it was Alex.

Alex: I didn’t mean to upset you.
It’s just he seemed desperate. You really need to talk to him, Grace.

Rolling my eyes, I threw my purse
and phone onto the passenger seat and headed back to the house I shared with Alex
and Will. Now that Luke, Libby, Lauren, and Colt had moved out it seemed cold
and empty all the time. Even when they did live there, I spent more time at
Noah’s place than I did at home. Well, at least I did until I freaked out and
pushed him away.

Wiping my tears away, I
concentrated on thinking about nothing but my date tonight with Doug. I’ll deal
with Alex later. Right now I needed to push Noah Bennet far from my memory. I
needed to move on and this date tonight was long over due.

*Subject to change before publishing* Unedited version*

Copyright Kelly Elliott 2015

~ About the Author ~

Kelly Elliott is married to a wonderful
Texas cowboy who has a knack for making her laugh almost daily and supports her
crazy ideas and dreams for some unknown reason...he claims it's because he
loves her!

She’s also a mom
to an amazing daughter who is constantly asking for something to eat while her
fingers move like mad on her cell phone sending out what is sure to be another
very important text message.

In her spare
time she loves to sit in her small corner overlooking the Texas hill country
and write.

One of her
favorite things to do is go for hikes around her property with Gus....her chocolate
lab and the other man in her life, and Rose, her golden retriever. When Kelly
is not outside helping the hubby haul brush, move rocks or whatever fun chore
he has in store for her that day, you’ll find her inside reading, writing or
watching HGTV.

After years of hard work and determination, I am
exactly where I want to be in life. As the top ranked Freestyle Motocross rider
in the world, I have more money than I could ever dream of spending and
gorgeous women throwing themselves at me in every city I land. I have
everything I could ever want.

Everything except her.

While in Breckenridge for my best friend’s wedding,
I was introduced to Dakota Shavell, a friend of the bride-to-be, and from the
moment our blue gazes met, sparks flew.

What I initially intended to be a single steamy
night together turned into a scorching two week road trip to New Orleans with a
sassy-mouthed blonde. Being between her legs gave me a bigger adrenaline rush
than I’d ever gotten from flying through the air while straddling a bike.

It was supposed to just be fun, a good time. I
planned to walk away unchanged.

But it was more. Feelings I never intended to have
got involved, and I’ll never be the same.

Yet, I still walked away.

Except now I’m injured and my outlook has changed.
Priorities have become clear.

And I’m going back to reclaim her…to show her that
together we can make the fire between us burst into flames.

My younger brother is getting worse, and my job - my
duty - is to help him at all costs. We've tried everything modern medicine has
to offer and nothing works.

Nothing.

Deciding to turn to unconventional treatments, we
end up at Fire-on-the-Mountain, a holistic resort deep in the Rockies.

In our search for medical marijuana, I find
beautiful, free-spirited Hudson Shavell - a girl who may not only hold the key
to heal my brother, but to fix me as well. Even though I can't afford
distractions right now, she's all I can think about. All that I want.

It's funny how everything can change with one little
SPARK.

*** Though
Spark is the first book in the Fire on the Mountain Series, it is a stand alone
novel ***

Erin
Noelle is a Texas native, where she lives with her husband and two young
daughters. While earning her degree in History at the University of Houston,
she rediscovered her love for reading that was first instilled by her
grandmother when she was a young child.

A lover of happily-ever-afters, both historical and
current, Erin is an avid reader of all romance novels. Her titles published
include the Book Boyfriend Series, the Dusk ‘Til Dawn Series, Translucent,
Conspire — co-authored with SE Hall, Surviving Us, MILF: Wrong Kind of Love and
Spark.

Her books have been a part of the USA Today
Bestselling list and the Amazon and Barnes & Noble overall Top 100.